GUEST COLUMNIST: Voters thought for themselves, didn't buy city's gloom and doom

Big government spenders and arrogant leaders beware!

Colorado Springs voters have joined a growing movement all over the nation that rejects fear tactics to force excessive government spending and arrogance in elected officials. Three cities, two in Ohio and one in Texas, just voted to rip down traffic cameras despite the camera manufacturer and their subcontractors spending $60,000 to keep them in place.

In Chillicothe, Ohio, when the mayor was caught removing anti-camera campaign signs, the voters sent him packing.

In New Jersey, incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine was canned after ignoring his long-standing promises to cut excessive property taxes.

Reflecting on the run-up to elections in our own city, it was sad to see how officials worked relentlessly to force Issue 2C on taxpayers already suffering from a souring economy. Referendum 2C became the local fear event of the year, right in time for Halloween, and was eclipsed only by the H1N1 panic. When watching the local news channels prior to the vote, you were “shocked and awed” by a parade of city officials who painted the darkest of pictures for all citizens if the property tax increase didn’t pass. From our city manager’s assessment, you would think we’ll soon look like Dresden, Germany, after the 1945 fire-bombings. And naturally, none of the financial problems had been caused by bad management and living beyond our fiscal means.

One of the saddest of the 2C supporter efforts was a commercial showing a firefighter and his wife warning of the consequences if 2C failed. I would almost compare it to using soldiers in uniform warning of an al-Qaida invasion of the homeland and demanding increases in defense spending.

We did come somewhat close to that level in one of the Independent’s constant drumming for bigger government. In that paper, an essay written by a Fort Carson spouse indirectly linked the 2C issue to the global war on terrorism. If you didn’t protect the home front with initiative 2C, our soldiers could no longer take on the Taliban with good conscience. Well, if it gets to that point, I and other veterans will gladly volunteer to re-enter active duty and do some fighting again.

In the end, and no matter what city officials tell you, we should all be proud of the election results. We should be proud, because the citizens of our city awoke to our Founding Fathers’ principles and sent their messages.

Government needs to become smaller and learn to balance the checkbook, just as we have to do it at home. We’re tired of city government’s smoke-and-mirror tactics when it comes to “innovative” accounting.

Yes, we want to know how and where our tax money is spent and how much city officials and employees make.

If the pay charts for our military personnel are accessible to everyone in the country, so should those for city governments. Government jobs are, after all, tax-payer supported. Most importantly, the vote on Nov. 3 was a vote of no-confidence for the existing group of city leaders and the way they do business.

Does all this mean that voters in Colorado Springers are hard-hearted, anti-social critters, without compassion for the poor and downtrodden? Far from it. I believe you’ll see many of our citizens step up to the plate and help this city become a better place, may it be through volunteer service or private sector initiatives to provide services to keep parks and other places of common value going. I know that there will be opportunities for many small contractors who can provide city services at a reasonable cost.

What happened during these off-cycle elections here and across the nation may just be the beginning of a return to our proven principles of balance between smaller government, private enterprise and the citizens — plus fiscal responsibility.

Slowly, our leaders are beginning to learn that like the pioneers who came before us, we won’t be ruled by fear and forced into blind obedience. In the end, even Colorado Springs it can be government by the people and for the people — if we work together.

It might all be the beginning of another long Independence Day in America.

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Zimmermann is a former tank battalion commander and decorated Desert Storm veteran. He writes and speaks on diverse military and international affairs topics. Zimm’s e-mail is r6zimm@earthlink.net.